Champaign set to welcome backyard chickens

CHAMPAIGN – Chickens will soon be welcome in back yards across Champaign.

The City Council voted Tuesday to end a ban on keeping chickens in the city limits and ordered staff members to draw up regulations.

The move will allow city residents to keep hens in their back yards for egg production.

According to The News-Gazette Mayor Don Gerard said he received more emails from constituents on the chicken issue than any tax issue that's come up in his first term. He called the grass-roots campaign that led to the vote democracy in action.

Only one council member, Vic McIntosh, voted against the chicken initiative. It wasn't clear why.